Students Give Up Week of Summer to Help Others

Students Give Up Week of Summer to Help Others

<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span>&nbsp;</span>A high school youth group is giving up a week
of their summer to give back.</span>

A high school youth group is giving up a week
of their summer to give back.

The
group from St. Gregory's Catholic Church in Maryville
is hitting up several communities throughout the Midland Empire, making a stop
here in St. Joseph.

Walking
in the sweltering heat, spray painting road signs hardly sounds like a way to
spend a summer break, but that is exactly what the group did.

"It feels good. It feels
like a sense of accomplishment," said volunteer Chris Holtman.

"I think it is an important
thing to do for people who can not help themselves," said another volunteer, Margaret
Guss.

Every year the group takes
a week long mission trip helping communities throughout the Midwest.

"We do not want to get
stuff out of this for ourselves that is the whole point about service," said Holtman.

It is all an effort to
teach the youth to walk the life that Jesus walked.

With so many wanting to
help this year, their youth leader could not be more proud.

"It tells me that there are
kids who understand what service is about. That they believe there is more in
life than just themselves," said youth leader Sarah Day.

Despite the harsh weather,
these teens were not complaining.

"It is tough but I think it
is worth it. It is hot but we got water and sunscreen. We will survive," said Margaret
Guss.

"We are not thinking about
ourselves and that we might be hot. We just keep helping out," said volunteer Cassie
Holtman.

Their biggest hope is
that their service sends a message to others.

"We hope that other people
will get out of this that service is an important thing and it should not be
just us doing it," said Chris Holtman. "Go out and do other things like mowing
your neighbor's yard and stuff like that."

Nine youth are
participating in missions week. They will head to Kansas City after their
work here is done.